People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court, asking it to review its judgement upholding the validity of laws by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka, which allowed Jallikattu, bullock cart races and Kambala, respectively.
PETA's plea states that the verdict contains errors apparent on the face of record.
Further, it stated that these ‘sports’ are against the natural instinct, behaviour and anatomy of the bulls, bullocks and buffaloes, serve no essential purpose, and “cause untold suffering, pain and cruelty to the animals used in them”.
“The judgement fails to consider any part of the detailed factual and scientific record which was produced before this court that shows that ‘Jallikattu’ and buffalo and bullock-cart racing events are inherently cruel and in fact, continue to be marked by immense cruelty even after the passage of the impugned amendments,” the plea said.
“The Constitution is a progressive charter of rights, which leads to, as its corollary, the doctrine of non-retrogression. The judgement disregards this fundamental constitutional principle by undoing the expansive and beneficial interpretation of Article 21 and Article 51-A(g) that was laid down in A Nagaraja and other decisions of this court and the high courts,” the petition said.
A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court had upheld the amendments made by Tamil Nadu to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in 2017 to allow Jallikattu.
Reading out the operative part of the judgement, Justice Aniruddha Bose said that the bench felt that the amendments made by the state have substantially overcome the defects pointed out by the Court in the 2014 judgement banning Jallikattu (Animal Welfare Board of India v A. Nagaraja) and minimise pain and suffering to animals.
It said that it would not like to differ with the legislature's view on whether the sport was a part of the state's cultural heritage and said that it was satisfied with material presented by the state to show that Jallikattu had been going on since a long time.
On similar grounds, it also upheld amendments made by Karnataka and Maharashtra to allow Kambala and bullock cart races respectively.
Also Read: Is SC Verdict On Jallikattu A Sign Of Its Growing Cultural Sensitivity? Real Test Case Is Sabarimala
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